In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contest, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
A revelation（启示）came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously（自发地）told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first trade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her fist music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting（借用）my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.What do we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Many children find lots of fun in mindless activities. |
| B．Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time. |
| C．Rebecca collects online materials for her writing. |
| D．Rebecca is different from any other child of her age. |
What was the author's writing experience?
| A．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
| B．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations. |
| C．She was constantly under pressure of writing more. |
| D．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
Why did Rebecca want to enter this year's writing contest?
| A．She possessed real talent for writing. |
| B．She wanted to win. |
| C．She wanted to share her stories with readers. |
| D．She had won a prize already. |
Tourism wasn’t as important as it is today. In the past, only people with a good deal of money could travel on holidays to other countries. More people travel today than in the past because there is a growing middle class in many parts of the world; that is to say, people now have more money for travel. Special plane fares(费用) for tourists make travel less expensive and more attractive than ever before. One person doesn’t travel for the same reason as another. But most people enjoy seeing countries that are different from their own. They also like to meet new people and to taste new food.
Tourism causes many changes in a country and in people’s lives. People build new hotels and restaurants and train native men and women as guides to show visitors interesting places. There’re new nightclubs and other amusements. International tourism is clearly a big business.In the old days _________ could travel to other countries.
| A．boys and girls, men or women, young or old |
| B．either kings or queens |
| C．both the poor and the rich |
| D．nobody but those who had money |
More people travel today than in the past because______________.
| A．people have become interested in traveling |
| B．traveling today is easier than in the past |
| C．people now have spare money for travel |
| D．great changes have taken place in the world |
What makes travel more attractive than before?
| A．Travel by air to other countries is much cheaper today. |
| B．More guides are being trained to show beautiful spots. |
| C．Modern telegraph lines make travel less expensive. |
| D．New hotels and restaurants have been built. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
| A．Tourism won’t bring any changes in people’s minds. |
| B．People have some trouble in making journey. |
| C．With the development of tourism, great changes have taken place in many parts in the world. |
| D．Tourism causes only some changes in clothing. |
Though your parents probably meant to have your name last a lifetime, remember that when they picked it they’d hardly met you, and the hopes and dreams they cared for when they chose it may not match yours. If your name no longer seems to fit you, don’t lose heart. Film stars change their names, and with some determination, you can, too.
If you wish to pick up a new name, you don’t need to make the change official. Under common law, all that is necessary is to start using the name of your choice. Remember, though, that you must use it everywhere—even with your mother—for it to become your legal name.
Getting friends and fellow workers to call you Leach instead of Lola may be harder than any paperwork involved, but you’ll probably meet official resistance, too. Be sure that no law prevents you from using the name you have chosen, unless you use it for the purpose of cheating. If the gas company tells you that you cannot get your bill under a new name, they are wrong. You don’t have to show them any sort of court document. You have a right to be called by whatever name you choose.
By this time, you’ve probably realized that changing your name is more difficult than replacing your furniture or changing your hair color, though the effect can be unusually encouraging. Don’t care too much if you have to keep reminding others of your change of a new name—keep on, and your friends and lover will accept your new name. Good luck!
51. You may wish to change your name because _____.
you are required to do so
you don’t mean to have your name last a lifetime
you like to follow what film stars often do
you may not like your parents’ choice
52. If you wish to start using the name of your own choice, you _____.
must get friends to call your new name
don’t have to get permission from anybody
must use it with your mother first
need to be approved by the court
53. No law keeps you from using whatever name you have chosen, if only ____.
you pick up a new name not for the purpose of wrong-doing
you can get your fellow workers to call you the new name
the gas company agrees to get your bill under your new name
some sort of court document is given to you
54. You may realize that changing your name ____.
usually has good effect
is actually asking for trouble
is not as easy as rearranging your room
means you have to go through some trouble
55. The purpose of the writer in writing this passage is to _____.
show you the need of changing your name
encourage you if you want to change your name
tell you how easy it is to change one’s name
list all the difficulties in changing one’s name
Do you forget to turn off the lights and heaters when you go out of a room? In 2040 it will not matter. They will turn themselves off—and on again when you return. You will choose the temperature for each room, the lighting and the humidity. A sensor will find the presence of a human (and, with luck, ignore the dog!) and turn the systems on, and when the humans leave it will turn them off again.
The sensors will work through the central home computer, and they will do much more than just turn the fires and lights on and off for you. They will find faulty electrical appliances, plugs or switches, separate them so that they cannot harm anyone, and then warn you that they need repair. They will detect(发现) fire and if you are out of the house, the computer will call the fire brigade. It will not be too difficult because the locks on the outside doors will be electronic. You will open them using your personal card—the one you use for shopping—maybe using a number known only to you.
It will be impossible to lose the key, and a housebreaker will have to tamper(拨弄) with the lock or with a window. It is not very difficult to make such tampering send a signal to the computer.
The computer will be more than a fireman-policeman-servant. It will be an entertainer, and most of your entertainment will come right into your home. It does now, of course, but by 2040 “entertainment” will mean much more. For one thing, you will be able to take part actively, rather than just watching.
46. The author intends to tell us that _____.
A. in 2040 we will live without lights and heaters
B. in 2040 we will use much more lights and heaters
C. in 2040 there will be no switches of lights and heaters
D. in 2040 lights and heaters will be on and off automatically
47. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
The sensor is multi-functional.
Without a computer, the sensor cannot do much.
The sensor will detect fire and make an emergency call.
You can be taken for a housebreaker if you tamper with the lock or with a window.
48. According to the author, in 2040, new technology _____.
A. will free us from the keys we use today
B. will turn everything into sensors
C. will make the locks out of date
D. will get rid of all crimes
49. Thanks to computers, in 2040 people _____.
A. will have no entertainment outside
B. will replace TV with computers
C. will be controlled by computers
D. will have more fun at home
50. The best title for the passage might be _____.
A. Sensors and Computers
B. Life at Home in the Year 2040
C. The Development of Science and Technology
D. Lights and Heaters in the Year 2040
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
One of today’s hottest topics among women (and to an extent among men too now) is anti aging and how to reverse the signs of age. The beauty industry has responded to this by offering a wide collection of anti aging creams and other anti aging products aimed at all pocketbooks, ranging from economical to highly priced.
And the question is “do any of these often much-vaunted(被过度吹嘘的) anti aging creams actually work?” And if they do, how precisely do they perform their miracles?
Well, the appropriate response to that is that they do work—after a fashion. There certainly are anti aging creams available for a relatively modest price that will reduce the appearance of wrinkles in a comparatively short period of regular application. But this really is the limit of their powers: they won’t actually undo skin damage or eradicate(根除) all signs of age; they will simply modify them, some more effectively than others.
The way they work is like so: they remove upper layers of dead skin cells and make deeper layers absorb water, serving to plump them up and make them look fuller and healthier. But since such anti aging creams only go skin deep, as it were, skin damage will reappear once you stop using the anti aging wrinkle(皱纹) cream.
This means fairly heavy regular use, which might be costly depending on your choice of product. However, if you can afford it or think it’s worth the cost, it won’t be such an issue. After all, what woman wants to look older than her years when looking good is so tied up with many women's self-esteem(自尊) and sense of identity.
A compromise(折中) solution for those on a tighter budget is to use the cheaper creams. In addition, it’s always wise to be a little experimental to make sure you end up with the one that suits your skin best.
So, to sum up: an anti wrinkle face cream will work within limits, depending on your objective.
41. This passage mainly tells us something about _____.
A. anti aging creams B. anti aging foods
C. anti wrinkle face D. anti wrinkle skin
42. According to the author, we can infer _____.
A. anti aging creams must reverse the signs of age
B. skin damage must not reappear after using creams
C. anti aging creams should be properly used
D. skin damage will disappear forever after using creams
43. The benefits from anti aging creams are the following except that _____.
A. they remove upper layers of dead skin cells
B. they make deeper layers absorb water
C. they make layers look fuller and healthier
D. they make wrinkle faces rough
44. The meaning of the underlined phrase “on a tighter budget” is _____.
A. having a larger amount of money
B. having a smaller amount of money
C. having no money at all
D. having a lot of money
45. Fairly heavy regular use will make you _____.
A. spend much money on your choice of product
B. easily afford your choice of product
C. think your choice of product wrong
D. believe your choice of product right
High-tech machines have made life easier for millions around the world. However, some people still prefer low-tech ways of doing things. Here’s an example of why this is happening. You can microwave a frozen hamburger in 60 seconds. However, it won’t taste as good as one you cook on the stove. And if you’re in that much of a hurry, you probably won’t take time to toast the bun. High-tech cooking saves time, but it doesn’t make for better tasting meals.
Most people get their news from high-tech sources like television or the Internet. This has many advantages. For example, electronic news is more up to date than newspapers 
or magazines. It’s also more exciting to see live and videotaped news events than photographs. However, newspapers and magazines have some important advantages. They give more background and details. They also let you read the parts that are important to you and skip the rest.
Other high-tech timesavers have similar disadvantages. For example, most people use the phone or email to stay in touch with friends and family members who live in other places. But when you use the Internet or the phone, you don’t always think carefully about what you are saying, and sometimes you forget the important things you want to communicate. Similarly, when you word process a home work assignment instead of handwriting it, you can check your spelling electronically and put in fancy headings. However, some students are so busy with the computer that they don’t pay enough attention to the actual words they are writing.
72. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The writer likes high-tech cooking.
B. Low-tech cooking produces better-tasting meals.
C. High—tech news programs always keep you reading what is important to you.
D. Handwritten homework is better than word-processed homework.
73. How does the writer feel about high—tech tools?
A. Better late than never. B. Easy come, easy go.
C. Every coin has two sides. D. Learn to walk before you run.
74. What is the main subject discussed in the text?
A. High—tech vs. low—tech.
B. Advantages vs. disadvantages.
C. Newspapers and magazines vs. television and the Internet.
D. Word—processing vs. handwriting.
75. How is the text organized?
A. Main idea — Argument — Explanation.
B. Opinion — Discussion — Description.
C. Topic — Comparison — Supporting examples.
D. Introduction — Supporting examples — Discussion.